← Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1962)

Chapter 13: Dhritarastra Quits Home

Verse 31 of 59
SB 1.13.31

ajata satru krita maitra hutagni vipran natwa tilagobhumirukmaih. griham pravisto guruvandanaya na cha apasyat pitarou soubalin cha.

Synonyms

ajatanever born; satruenemy; kritahaving performed; maitraworshipping the demigods; hutagniand offering fuel in the fire; vipranthe brahmins; natwaoffering obeisances; tillagobhumirukmaalong with grains, cows, land and gold; grihamwith in the palace; pravistahaving entered into, Guru; vandanayafor offering respect to the elderly members; nadid not; chaalso; apasyatsee; pitarouhis uncle; soublinGandhari; chaalso.

Translation

Maharaj Yudhtshira whose enemy was neverborn, performed his daily morning duties by prayers, offering sarificice in the fire and the Sungod and offered obeisances to the Brahmins along with grains, cows, land, gold and then enetered the palace to pay respects to the elderly members in the palace. He however could not find out his unele and aunt the daughter of King Subala.

Purport

Maharaj Ydhisthir was the most pious king because he practised personally daily the pious duty for the householders. The householders are required to rise early in the morning and after cleanliness, should offer respects to the deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving in charity the Brahmins land, cow, grains and gold etc and at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. Unless one is prepared to practise things which are prescribed in the Shastras no body can be goodman simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practised to different modes of life namely to rise late and then take bed-tea without any sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The house-holdchldren are taken to practice the samething in which the parents are already practised and therefore the whole generation is gliding towards hell and no good things can be expected from them unless they associate with Sadhus. Like Dhritarastra the materialistic person, one may take lessons from a Sadhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life.

Maharaj Yudhisthir, however, could not find in the palace the two uncles namely Dhritarastra and Vidura along with Gandhari the daughter of king Subala. He was anxious to see them and, therefore, asked Sanjaya the private secretary of Dhritarastra as follows :—

Verse 31 of 59